Field of the Embodiments of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to adjustable chairs, and, more specifically, to a technique for adjusting the posture of a seated person.
Description of the Related Art
A person may sit down in a wide variety of different contexts, including driving an automobile, working at a desk, relaxing in a chair, and so forth. When seated, people may assume a range of bodily positions. Such bodily positions are generally known as postures. Typically, a given person habitually assumes a specific set of postures when seated. Some habitual postures may be benign; however, certain other habitual postures may cause physical problems over time. For example, when a person habitually sits with a slouched posture, that person could experience chronic spinal problems.
Some types of chairs are configurable and can be manually adjusted to support specific healthy postures and preclude detrimental postures. In particular, chairs within modern automobiles oftentimes include different sections that can be independently adjusted via motorized controls. A modern driver's seat, for example, could include a motorized backrest that can be adjusted via a control panel. A user of a configurable chair may position the sections of the chair to facilitate specific healthy postures.
However, one drawback associated with conventional adjustable chairs is that a given person may not be aware of the posture(s) with which they sit, and may thus be ill informed to adjust such a chair properly. When the person habitually assumes a health-adverse posture, such as a slouched posture, that person may inadvertently adjust the chair in such a way that facilitates slouching. Further, in situations where the chair is, in fact, adjusted properly, a person seated in that chair may unconsciously assume a health-adverse posture despite the correct adjustment of the chair.
As the foregoing illustrates, people may inadvertently assume health-adverse postures when sitting down. When a person sits in a conventional adjustable chair, the person may also incorrectly adjust the chair to facilitate health-adverse postures, potentially causing chronic health problems over time.